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This article argues that Shakespeare's use in advertising can be divided into three phases: the late Victorian period, a heyday for Shakespeare-oriented marketing; the modern period, from the First World War through the 1950s and early 1960s, in which Shakespeare played a relatively minor role in marketing; and the contemporary period, from the 1960s to the present day, in which Shakespeare-themed advertising has enjoyed a modest resurgence. Each of these periods' advertisements deploy Shakespeare in distinctive ways, for reasons arising not only from changes in media, advertising strategies,...

This article argues that Shakespeare's use in advertising can be divided into three phases: the late Victorian period, a heyday for Shakespeare-oriented marketing; the modern period, from the First World War through the 1950s and early 1960s, in which Shakespeare played a relatively minor role in marketing; and the contemporary period, from the 1960s to the present day, in which Shakespeare-themed advertising has enjoyed a modest resurgence. Each of these periods' advertisements deploy Shakespeare in distinctive ways, for reasons arising not only from changes in media, advertising strategies, and the nature of mass production, but also from Shakespeare's changing ideological valence and relationship to the public.